Alistair Strathern | |
---|---|
Member of Parliament for Mid Bedfordshire | |
Assumed office 19 October 2023 | |
Preceded by | Nadine Dorries |
Majority | 1,192 (3.0%) |
Member of Waltham Forest Council for Higham Hill | |
In office 26 May 2014 – 5 September 2023 | |
Succeeded by | Shumon Ali-Rahman[1] |
Personal details | |
Born | Alistair Luke Strathern 1989 or 1990 (age 33–34)[2] |
Political party | Labour |
Domestic partner | Megan Corton Scott |
Education | St Anne's College, Oxford (BA) |
Alistair Luke Strathern (born 1989 or 1990) is a British Labour Party politician serving as the member of Parliament for Mid Bedfordshire since winning a by-election in 2023.
Alistair Luke Strathern[3] was born in 1989 or 1990,[2] and grew up in Bedfordshire, England.[4] He was educated at Sharnbrook Academy in Bedfordshire.[5] He studied philosophy, politics and economics at St Anne's College, Oxford, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree.[6][7] While a student at Oxford, Strathern chaired the Oxford University Labour Club.[8][9] While still at university, he stood in the 2010 Oxford City Council election for the ward of Holywell, finishing fourth.[7]
Before his entry into Parliament, Strathern was employed by the Bank of England in regulating climate risk insurance.[4][6][10] He had previously worked as a mathematics teacher.[11] He was a Labour councillor for the ward of Higham Hill on Waltham Forest London Borough Council from 26 May 2014 until his resignation on 5 September 2023,[12][13] which triggered a by-election held on 26 October 2023,[14] in which Labour retained the seat.[1]
At Waltham Forest, Strathern held the post of "Cabinet Member for 15-Minute Neighbourhoods".[15] Between 2014 and 2015, he was a director of Ascham Homes Limited, an arms-length management organisation that provided council housing in Waltham Forest.[16][17]
At a by-election in 2023, Strathern was elected to represent Mid Bedfordshire in Parliament following the resignation of Nadine Dorries, a Conservative MP and former culture secretary.[3][18] Strathern won 13,872 votes, a majority of 1,192 over the Conservative candidate Festus Akinbusoye; the Liberal Democrats came third with 9,420 votes. Ten other candidates received between 1,865 and 24 votes.[19] The election was the first time that the Labour Party had won the seat, the Conservative majority in the 2019 general election being 24,664.[20]
The Guardian's report described the result as "delivering a significant blow to Rishi Sunak's hopes of holding on to power at the next general election".[18] During the campaign, the i wrote of Strathern: "On the surface the 33-year-old seems dependable, almost old-fashioned. There's a whiff of corduroy about him. His manner is upbeat but a tad shy; as if he's fought hard to be socially confident."[21]
In January 2024, he was appointed as Parliamentary Private Secretary to both the Shadow Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, and Shadow Climate Secretary, Ed Miliband.[22] Later that month, he announced his intention to contest the Hitchin constituency at the next general election, which will include parts of Mid Bedfordshire due to boundary changes.[23]
Strathern has taken part in protests organised by the environmental campaign group Greenpeace, including a stunt carried out in 2022 outside the Home Office by a group opposed to the Public Order Act.[6] His involvement in the protest was revealed some months later, and sparked calls by the defence secretary Grant Shapps for his parliamentary candidacy to be withdrawn.[24][25] A photograph of Strathern at the protest dressed as a zombie appeared on the front page of The Sun on 8 August 2023, under the headline "Wannabe Labour MP unmasked as 'zombie' Greenpeace zealot".[21][26] Strathern stated that he does not regret the protest.[21]
Strathern's partner is Megan Corton Scott, a political campaigner for Greenpeace.[27][28][29] Strathern has a slight lisp, which has become less pronounced with age.[21] He is a first cousin, once removed, of former Prime Minister Theresa May.[30]